President-elect Donald Trump is considering Washington trade lawyer Jeffrey Kessler to lead the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), according to people familiar with the matter, a key post in the US-China tech war.
Kessler, a partner at the law firm of WilmerHale, served as assistant secretary for enforcement and compliance during Trump's first term, which made him the Commerce department's top trade enforcement official.
If selected to head BIS, Kessler would oversee export controls on US technology exported to countries like China that pose a risk to national security. Over the past decade, export controls became a potent weapon for the US in the tech battle between the world's two biggest economies.
Spokespeople for the Trump transition team and Kessler did not immediately respond to requests for comment.